What was Lost
by Mystical Authoress
Summary: Takes place a month post-game, but Zangurak and Zepha are still alive. After the entire war of the Outsider, old friends and enemies reunite at a ball, and everything changes...What they don't know is if things will change for better or worse.
1. Chapter 1

**Author note: I do not own the Last Story.**

**So, this is a bit of an AU, taking place _one month _after the events of the game, with a few changes...**

**1. Zangurak is not dead. What happened after the boss fight with him, when he ripped off his arm...he nearly died of blood loss from pulling off his arm, but the mercenaries felt really bad for him and healed up what was left of his arm. After the whole thing was over, Zangurak made himself a metal arm to replace it.**

**2. Zepha? Also not dead. In the boss fight with just Zepha, what happened when Yurick threw the knife at him was that-actually, you're going to find that out in this very first chapter, so you'll find out there...**

**3. Zael and Calista? Not married...the reason why is later revealed...XD**

**4. OCs? Heck yes. Eight of them...some will be familiar from other fanfics (namely the 'Last Story: Anthology' and 'Burning Shadows,' in which I used Tahirah, Arlyn, Nuriel, Nuriel's Shadow and Yin-oh, and I own them by the way), but others (Dereck, Andra, Annele) are owned by zgirl16. Also, the title of this fic was thought up by zgirl16 as well, so I technically don't own that either. XD **

**Warning: Post-game, spoilers, violence, various pairings**

**Constructive Criticism would be great, and I hope that you read, review and enjoy! Thanks! XD**

* * *

_**What Was Lost**_

* * *

_1. _

* * *

_"You're in no condition to fight. Just leave here!"_

_"Eat this!"_

_"Pathetic. Your feeble incantations are useless against-"_

_**"Brother!"**_

Zepha could do nothing as he was suddenly pushed aside. He felt himself hit the floor, and he cringed in pain, his body only getting more sore with all the other injuries he gained from earlier in the fight. Looking up to see who had saved him from the flying knife, he realized with dread of who it was.

Zesha stood there, shielding his older twin from harm-and effectively also receiving the dagger's blade that cut into his chest, just below his collar bone as it pierced his armor and skin. He then fell to his knees, trying to pull the blade from his skin, but it was stuck, and it was only making him bleed faster...

Before Zepha could scream-before he could _scream-_

-he woke up.

Zepha held his head in both hands, trembling underneath the sheets as he sat up in bed.

That nightmare happened _again. _For the tenth time this week. Something like this should be over now-_Zesha is alive, Zesha is ALIVE._

But the fear of his brother dying like that never stopped. Ever since that fight against Zael and his mercenary friends, Zepha had yet to reassure himself that Zesha wasn't going to be dying anytime soon. There was no way Yurick was going to be throwing a knife at him and no way that Zesha was going to go and push Zepha out of the way and receive the knife instead of him...

"Brother?"

Zepha turned to see Zesha wake up, sitting up in bed beside him. The sword-wielding twin embraced the magic-wielding twin, holding him closely.

"Did you have nightmares...?"

Zepha nodded. "Again, yes." He leaned his head against Zesha's shoulder quietly, running a hand over the scar Zesha had from the knife. He felt Zesha tense up at this, and Zepha paused, looking up at him. "Apologies..."

Zesha shook his head. "It is not your fault, brother. It's just memories..."

Zepha knew too well that it wasn't just 'memories.' His brother, just like him, was suffering from that battle still.

It had been a month since that ordeal, and they were still suffering from the scars of it.

* * *

A young Gurak woman walked through the hallway, letting out a sigh as she picked at the chainmail covering her tunic. She was one of the Gurak assassins-she was best when it came to magic, though she could be alright at using swords and daggers and needles-_especially needles_-to fight enemies with.

Of course, this didn't mean that she was the most graceful person in the world, either. She'd knocked over a bucket of water earlier that a maid had been using for mopping up the castle, then Yin went and literally knocked over a door-without meaning to. Her ice spell had went and knocked the door down after it missed her target that she'd been training with, Zesha.

That had not ended well. Then she'd come home from work, and she and her older sister Andra got into a fight. For the third time this week.

Well, at least it wasn't the sixth time this week. That would be even worse. Andra worked as a maid in the Gurak Castle, Yin as one of the soldiers. Both barely made enough to keep themselves and their youngest sister, Annele, in a house and alive.

Yin hoped that the situation would change for the better, but she wasn't sure.

Then again, Andra just saw Yin as a burden-a burden that wasn't even home most of the time to take care of Annele.

Before her train of thought could continue, she ran into someone, nearly knocking them over. Yin panicked, helping them up.

"Ah, sorry, I-I wasn't looking..." Yin trailed off sheepishly.

The figure, obviously human, laughed gently, smiling at her. "It's alright." She reassured her. "I should have been looking where I was going, too." The woman wore a light blue cloak, covering a dress of pearly white marbled with a blue similar to the cloak that she wore. She wore simple white slippers and her long, pale blond hair trailed down to her waist, tied back in a simple ponytail. Her light blue eyes looked at Yin gently, a smile forming at the edges of her pale lips. "Do you know where Lord Zangurak may be right now? I have a message for him from Melodia." The rest of her face was covered with a mask that seemed to imitate the appearance of water.

"Melodia?" Yin repeated, blinking a bit. "Wait a sec...you're Arlynne, right? One of Lady Tahirah's advisor-bodyguards?"

Arlynne nodded, blushing a bit. "I-I am, yes. Word spreads quickly about people of high status outside Melodia, as I see now."

Yin nodded. "Yeah, it always does..." She paused, before remembering- "Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't even introduce myself! I'm Yin!" She bowed a bit. Arlynne laughed a bit.

"No, no, no need to bow, Miss Yin. I'm not royalty."

"Yeah, but-" The Gurak woman blushed. "But you're revered as one of the greatest ice mages ever. And I mean, seriously-you and the other advisor-bodyguard of Lady Tahirah, Nuriel-you're both called the 'Icy Inferno' when you fight together.."

Arlynne blinked. "I don't recall being called that before..."

Yin let out a sheepish laugh. "Yeah...okay, I made that up. But you both are so cool, though."

"Thank you..."

The sound of footsteps echoed in their ears, and they turned to see Lord Zangurak approaching them.

"Lord Zangurak!" Arlynne curtsied as Yin bowed.

Zangurak looked at the two quietly, before speaking, turning to Arlynne. "I assume that you have a message from Melodia, Arlynne?"

Arlynne nodded. "Of course, Your Highness. Lady Tahirah wished to know if you were still attending the ball tomorrow night at Melodia Castle, as you have apparently given a lack of response."

Zangurak gritted his teeth a bit, the hand of his metal right arm clenching into a fist. Yin flinched a bit at this, worried that he would snap at Arlynne and cause her to run away scared. Though Lord Zangurak seemed frightening to his own people at times, Arlynne surprisingly was not fazed in the slightest. The King of the Gurak paused, before speaking in response.

"I am coming tomorrow night to the ball, though I may end up arriving early..."

Arlynne simply smiled. "Better earlier or late than never, Lord Zangurak. Thank you."

_"Ah! Lord Zangurak, my apologies!" _A projection of a young woman in her early twenties appeared. She had black hair that was straight, falling down to her shoulders. A dark plum mask shaped like a butterfly obscured most of her face, save for her pale lips and dark green eyes. She wore a matching coloured dress, as well as flats that adorned her feet, her dress hemmed with gold and silver thread. A man stood beside her, silent, but Yin guessed that the man was Nuriel, the other of Lady Tahirah's advisor-bodyguards.

Nuriel had a flaming red mask adorning his face, with an ashen black cloak and black pants with a red, collared shirt. However, Yin noticed a smile dancing at the edges of his lips, as if expecting something fun to happen while Tahirah spoke. _"I apologize for using my advisor Arlynne as a way of convenience, and-" _There was a crashing noise in the background, and Tahirah winced. _"Things have been...hectic, as I'm here in Melodia getting everything ready for the ball tomorrow night." _She then turned to Nuriel. _"Nuriel, I'll be back as soon as possible, as I find it quite awkward just using some apparition of myself to be talking with others at the moment..."_

Nuriel nodded, before turning to the scene behind him, yelling somethiing at them as the projection vanished. One moment later, Tahirah appeared in front of them, fully in the flesh and not just some apparition. "Alright, I'm here..." She recomposed herself, looking up at Zangurak. "Your answer to my message?"

Zangurak glanced at Arlynne. "I already told her." He muttered quietly, in which Arlynne mouthed the words 'yes, he's coming tomorrow but possibly early' to Tahirah. Tahirah smiled a bit at this.

"Brilliant! Lady Calista is coming tomorrow as well as Zael, and-oh! Right, I'm sure Sir Therius is coming as well, which is great considering that he needs some time off from taking over the late General Asthar's position and training knights in the Empire, anyway..."

Yin, Zangurak and Arlynne appeared to exchange awkward glances with each other while Tahirah kept happily ranting about who was coming to the ball. Tomorrow night at the ball would be...interesting, for sure.

* * *

Therius glanced at the invitation. Reading over the words slowly, he let out a quiet breath, before the faintest smile appeared on his face.

"Lady Tahirah Zakiyaa...I don't think you've changed at all."


	2. Reunited

_2. Reunited_

* * *

Zael stared around as he entered Melodia Castle with Calista alongside him. They had ended up in Melodia earlier than expected in their travels, but it was probably due to the really nice weather today. The castle reminded him of the first time of when he'd entered Lazulis Castle-Zael had been nearly overwhelmed by how extravagant and huge the place was. Here in Melodia Castle, it was huge like Lazulis Castle, but it didn't seem too extravagant in comparison. The design seemed more simple, but had an elegance to it that he wasn't sure how to describe it.

He felt Calista nudge him a bit, and Zael turned to see a young woman with a butterfly mask over her face rushing over to them, a beaming smile upon her face.

"Lady Calista! Sir Zael! How wonderful of you to arrive!" She smiled, curtseying to them. "I'm glad you both could make it for this occasion..."

Calista smiled, curtseying back while Zael bowed. "I'm glad to see you as well, Lady Tahirah." She turned to Zael. "Zael, this is Lady Tahirah Zakiyaa, Countess of Melodia..."

Zael smiled, bowing a bit. "A pleasure to meet you, Lady Tahirah."

"A pleasure to meet you..." Tahirah paused, before noticing a certain white knight enter the castle. "Is that...?"

Calista and Zael turned to see who it was. "Therius?"

Sir Therius looked up, his one visible emerald eye blinking in surprise. "Zael, Lady Calista...Tahirah?"

Tahirah immediately let out a squeal of delight, rushing to Therius and curtseying, before going and hugging him. Zael and Calista kind of stared, as well as Therius, who blinked in surprise at the sudden hug. "Aah, Therius, it's been too long! Ten years is too long to not see each other! Seriously!"

Zael tried to register what Tahira was saying. "Wait, wait, Therius..." He paused, before guessing. "You and Tahirah were in love with each other?"

Therius shook his head, blushing slightly. "We were like siblings, Zael...not in the way you assume." He let out a sigh. "Lady Tahirah and I know each other from childhood, back when I was training to be a knight and when she became Countess of Melodia..."

"Oh...oops..." he then stared. "Wait, if Lady Tahirah was Countess of Melodia already back then, does that mean...?"

Tahirah nodded, letting out a sheepish chuckle. "Y-yeah, I've been ruling Melodia since I was ten years old. I'm twenty, now..."

"You've been ruling Melodia for ten years!?"

"Yes." Tahirah smiled at that. "Thankfully, I've had help." She then snapped her fingers, and two figures immediately stood by her side. One of them was a woman, with long blonde hair and a watery blue mask. The other was a man, with dark brown hair that went down to his shoulders, a fiery red mask covering his face. "This is Arlynne and Nuriel, my personal advisors and bodyguards."

Nuriel bowed as Arlynne curtsied. "A pleasure to meet you," Nuriel spoke up quietly, a playful look in his eyes.

Arlynne smiled gently, her demeanor cool and collected. "If there is anything you need, just ask."

Calista smiled at them. "Thank you, Arlynne and Nuriel..."

Tahirah then looked up, ahead of everyone, to see a most anticipated guest.

"Lord Zangurak..."

Zael turned to see Zangurak. Despite ripping his arm off and losing the power of the Outsider, the replacement metal arm shone in the light of the hall, making him look more intimidating than usual. Zesha and Zepha trailed behind him, as well as other Gurak servants. The twins looked somber in their eyes, but their faces were straight and stony, saying nothing as Zangurak approached Tahirah, looking her in the eyes once before bowing.

"Good afternoon." His voice rumbled like thunder gathering.

Tahirah, calm and smiling, curtsied in return. "Good afternoon, Lord Zangurak. I'm glad that you could be here."

Zangurak nodded quietly in response. Zael, meanwhile, was dumbfounded as of how Tahirah could _not_ be intimidated by Zangurak, Zepha and Zesha being there all at once. Then again, it wasn't like she ever encountered them at all during any battle. But she had heard of them, surely, and what they had done. However, it seemed like she didn't mind them at all-maybe she even had a liking to them already.

* * *

"I can't believe we're all stuck like this, you know. Again, after how long? A month?"

It was Syrenne that spoke up. She, Lowell, Yurick and Mirania had tagged along with Zael and Calista, since

1. It was a party and that meant food, which Mirania liked and

2. Apparently Yurick was interested about Arlynne and Nuriel, the 'Icy Inferno' and

3. Lowell figure it would be nice for everyone to get back together after a while since the mercenary group had split up and gone their own ways after the Outsider war. Also,

4. Syrenne was definitely up for a party, because that meant drinks and stuff. And seeing old friends, too.

So, now they were all hanging out in the hallway just outside their guest rooms and talking with each other.

Mirania nodded in response to Syrenne's question. "Yes, Syrenne, it's been a month. Last time we were all battling that Kraken in those underground Reptid caves..."

Yurick smiled faintly at this. "Yeah, I remember that. But I still can't believe Zael actually won while beating up all those Reptids..."

"Well," Lowell spoke up cheerfully, "Remember how we were all talking at one point about how Syrenne here had gained a bit of weight...? Well-"

Syrenne promptly elbowed him, blushing slightly but also glaring at Lowell who yelped in pain. "Don't tell them." She muttered quietly.

Mirania blinked. "What is it, Syrenne? We're your friends, so you can tell us...right...?"

As Lowell slowly recovered, Syrenne let out a sigh. "Alright, alright, I'll tell you. I'm...a month pregnant. With Lowell's child."

Yurick and Mirania were silent, before they gave the following reactions.

"What!?"

"That's wonderful, Syrenne! Congratulations, both of you..."

Lowell grinned a bit. "Ah, thanks. Though it sucks whenever Syrenne here gets morning sickness-it's scarier than her being drunk..."

Syrenne glared at him. "Lowell..."

Two voices cut into the dialogue, echoing from down the hallway.

"What if they find out!?"

Yurick turned to see two figures. "Is that Arlynne and Nuriel...?"

Nuriel was trying to soothe Arlynne, who was panicking. "Find out about what, sweet Arlynne...?"

"The real me, that's what!" Arlynne spat out, burying her face into Nuriel's chest and crying. "Wh-what they could say, or do...Lady Tahirah is the only one that knows, the only one we know alright with this..."

Nuriel kissed Arlynne's forehead. "If they give a negative reaction if they find out, I would do anything and everything to prorect you, dear. I would burn for you."

Arlynne looked up at Nuriel quietly, tears in her eyes still. "And I would freeze for you." The two started kissing each other. The four former mercenaries quickly walked away to give them privacy.

Mirania thought for a moment. "I wonder what exactly it was they were talking about..."

Yurick shrugged. "Who knows? I doubt they're going to tell just anyone about it, but it must be something that could threaten their reputation and being with each other, seeing as how they were reacting earlier..."

Little did they know was that they would find out sooner than expected.


	3. Revealed

**Author note: I would like to remind everyone that if you don't like what I write, there is no need to flame me for it. I can write what I want, and if you don't like it, you can just hit the back button and never read it again. Thank you.**

* * *

_3. Revealed_

Zangurak looked around the ballroom quietly, a flute of champagne in his hand. Lady Tahirah was nowhere in sight, Zesha and Zepha were awkwardly standing by the opposite wall and downing some champagne of their own, Sir Therius appeared to be in deep conversation with Zael and Calista…and also awkwardly standing around and unsure of what to do or say. The King of the Gurak let out a silent sigh, turning and making his way to the nearest balcony. He needed air, dammit, and if he didn't get any soon in this stuffy ballroom he might as well just go outside to the courtyard below.

As he neared the balcony, however, he became quite aware that he was hearing someone singing. It was a feminine voice-that alone was obvious-but as of whose voice it was, he wasn't sure. Moving faster towards the balcony, he noticed the shadow of a certain Countess of Melodia leaning against the balcony railing, singing softly. Her voice held an elegance to it, a mature but rather pretty tone. It conveyed more than just notes-it conveyed emotion, feelings, something from the heart…

"Lady Tahirah?"

Tahirah let out a screech of alarm, dropping her glass of champagne. It went hurling down the balcony, and a yelp of surprise from below them echoed through the courtyard. Tahirah stared at Zangurak, before she quickly leaned over the railing, shouting.

"I-I'm sorry! I didn't mean it!"

A scuffle of moving was heard from below, a stammering response.

"U-um, i-it's fine, really. I didn't get hit with the glass…"

"Uh, that's good. Sorry, Lord Dereck…."

Dereck. Zangurak remembered the name. Dereck was one of the Gurak nobles, but Zangurak felt this sense of something going on whenever he heard Dereck's name even being spoken, or saw him as they passed by each other. They didn't communicate much-Zangurak was busy and all with his duties as King, after all-but one look alone made Zangurak come to the conclusion that Dereck could be a possibly unpleasant individual, even if he was one of his own kind.

Tahirah let out a sigh, turning to Zangurak. "I-I'm sorry if I scared you just now," She apologized, blushing slightly with complete embarrassment in her eyes. "I shouldn't have reacted so…violently, as I did just now."

Zangurak shook his head, sipping his glass of champagne. "The fault is mine, Lady Tahirah, for frightening you like that and disrupting the wonderful song you were singing. I admit I do not understand the language, but it was indeed beautiful, as well as your voice."

Why was he even bothering to be polite to her, this human again? Right, right, she was the Countess of the Melodia, his host. Of course he had to be polite. He wondered for a second if he was being so easy to talk to because the champagne got to his head. That couldn't be so, though, because he had only downed two glasses of champagne and he was only halfway through the third one. And he was usually a tough, drinker, too. Maybe it was the champagne, it could be stronger than normal...

Tahirah smiled a little bit, blushing still. "Thank you, Lord Zangurak. The song is indeed in a different tongue than what most are accustomed to-not many people know the language. It's about a pair of lovers who have this….this connection between each other from the very beginning, but they don't realize it until the end. One of the two lovers during the song ends up with the wrong person, but manages to escape with her true lover's help. I find it to be quite romantic…"

Zangurak let out a quiet breath, saying nothing. Tahirah frowned at this.

"I'm trying my best to put up a decent conversation, Lord Zangurak. At least try to put up something decent in response or leave it entirely with some polite farewell. Don't leave me hanging."

He paused, somewhat frustrated with this, before speaking again, frustration lacing his tone. "Apologies. Dealing with putting up a conversation is not my forte, Lady Tahirah."

She seemed to not be offended by his truthful (though blunt) words. She smiled, and Zangurak swore that she could have been giggling a bit-something that he probably should have expected from someone as seemingly optimistic as her.

"Lord Zangurak," She started as he took another sip of his champagne, "Since talking is not your forte, perhaps I could challenge you to a duel instead?"

He raised an eyebrow in suspicion. "A duel?" He repeated.

Tahirah nodded quietly, a calm smile on her face still. "Yes, a duel. Tomorrow morning after breakfast. You bring what you've got, and I'll bring what I've got. Does that sound alright?"

Zangurak thought about it for a moment. An opportunity to duel the 'Warrior Countess' (that was a title that was frequently referencing to Tahirah, as he'd overheard from other nobles' conversations) was quite rare. And it would be nice to test out his fighting without the help of the Outsider. And...he had a feeling that this human in front of him, though obviously unafraid of him like the other humans he had encountered (save for Arlynne before), had some sort of reason to challenge him and not just for fun. He had to know the reason why she asked him for a duel.

"Yes, Lady Tahirah. I accept your challenge."

* * *

Andra let out a quiet sigh as she walked down the hallway. She had told Yin and Annele that she would be back eventually, that she just needed a little air, a little time alone before she went back to the ballroom to make sure Annele and Yin were alright and such. Big parties like this had never ceased to seem overwhelming to her, after all...

"Erm, excuse me?" She turned to see a Gurak noble approach her. He was trying to wipe his glasses with a handkerchief, the rest of his being (mostly his jacket and face, as well as his hair) soaked with champagne that she could easily smell. "Can you wipe this off for me, please? I...happened to get into a bit of an accident just now and I can't find the restroom..."

Andra nodded quietly, getting out a cloth and doing her best to wipe the champagne off him. Some of it already soaked into his clothes, which wasn't great,but at least he wasn't completely soaking wet anymore.

"Thank you." The Gurak noble smiled at her a bit. "I really appreciate it."

Andra made herself smile back. There was something about him that made her think for a moment that he cared about her. But wasn't sure what it was. "You're welcome, sir."

"Please, call me Dereck." He grinned a bit. "I've never met the most stunning angel like you until tonight..."

Andra was confused, half-flattered as well. "Surely there are others that are far more stunning than myself..."

He shook his head. "No. They're nothing compared to you, miss...oh, I didn't even ask for a name."

"And I didn't even introduce myself, Lord Dereck..."

"Dereck, please."

"Dereck. My name is...Andra..."

Before either of them could keep speaking with one another, a scream rang from down the hall.

"What the-"

Dereck was knocked against the wall by something rushing inbetween the two. That was when Arlynne came scrambling around the corner, her arm bleeding heavily from a large cut.

"You have to...stop him..." She breathed out, collapsing onto her knees. Andra's eyes widened, and she quickly helped Dereck up before rushing over to Arlynne and trying to check on her. Arlynne, however, just waved her away with her good arm. "No! Don't...just...you have to stop Nuriel...he's...possessed by a Shadow..."

Dereck's eyes widened in alarm. "A-a Shadow? That's...not good." He ran down the hallway. "Andra, stay with Arlynne, I shall go warn the others!"

Andra watched Dereck go, before trying to attend to Arlynne, who waved her off again. "Don't just stand there!" Arlynne half-snapped, glaring now. "I'll be fine, I've suffered worse, and-" That was when Arlynne's eyes widened in alarm and she tried to cover her chest area. However, Andra saw it first. It was too late to cover anything up.

Arlynne's chest underneath the dress was bare from the dress being a bit ripped from the Shadow's attack. That was obvious. The other obvious thing was that from looking at Arlynne's chest was that Arlynne was definitely not a woman. At all.

Andra stared still. "You-you're a-"

He glared at Andra, his tone becoming icy, harsh. "If you tell _anyone..."_ He trailed off, but Andra knew that this was definite threat. Andra nodded slowly, before rushing away to join Dereck.

The advisor of Tahirah watched them go. He then healed up his bleeding arm, leaning against the wall as he tried to cover himself up best as he could. He was too fatigued to go after them-fighting with the Shadow took up a good portion of his energy. He waited until he knew he was alone, and then buried his face in his hands, powerless.

"What do I do...?"

* * *

The once graceful and orderly ballroom became a place of disorder and chaos.

Zael couldn't believe what he was seeing, but this was even worse than the first Gurak attack on Lazulis Castle during the engagement ball between the late Jirall and Calista. A man stood in the middle of the ballroom, a devilish smirk upon his face. Zael knew, just from one look, that it had to be Nuriel, but the look in his eyes was different, like a man possessed. Almost like how Jirall had gone insane from the power of that cursed sword Zangurak gave him.

_"Come on," _The possessed Nuriel crooned as the crowds of people backed away in fear, _"You can't all be cowards, are you?"_

Tahirah Zakiyaa stared at the possessed Nuriel quietly. "Shadow..." She paused for a moment, her face stone cold and devoid of any previous joy. "Must you disrupt a wonderful ball as this? If you vanish for the time being, I can confront you later."

_"You know I'm itching for a fight, Lady Tahirah." _The Shadow-possessed Nuriel muttered in response, giving her a cold look in return. _"And if you won't fight me, surely the disgraced Lord Zangurak would, even though he is devoid of the Outsider's power? Or maybe your lovely advisors, Tahirah, Nuriel and Arlynne-oh, wait, I already defeated both of them. Arlynne could be bleeding to death or wallowing in disgrace by now..."_

Zael sensed Tahirah stiffen at that last remark.

"You can't."

Her voice was very small, all of a sudden. The possessed Nuriel smiled.

_"I can, and I have done it. I finally did it." _The Shadow laughed. _"You're going to fall...you and everyone around you..."_

"Y-you can't..."

Therius' eyes widened, turning to Tahirah. "Lady Tahirah-"

"You can't, you can't, you can't!" Tahirah appeared to become more panicked at this with every repeated 'you can't.' "You can't, you _can't, you can't, you can't, YOU CAN'T! **YOU-"**_

A wordless scream echoed through the entire ballroom, and Zael instinctively put his hands to his ears, pained by the sound of Tahirah's scream. He looked to see Therius and the Shadow-possessed Nuriel do the same, as well as Calista and the others. Even the Gurak noble Dereck, who had just rushed into the room (most likely to try to warn everyone even though he was now obviously too late), was forced to cover his ears. Glass windows cracked, then shattered in an instant, the crowds of people screaming and trying to get out of the way.

That was when Arlynne rushed into the room, and hit Lady Tahirah in the back of the head. Tahirah went unconscious instantly, the scream instantly vanishing from her as she fell. Arlynne caught her, cradling her in her arms as she looked up at Nuriel, who was holding his head in pain still. Nuriel then let out a scream, staggering back as the Shadow split from him in a misty fog. As Nuriel managed to regain his balance, Zael swore that he could see a pair of crimson eyes glaring at everyone out of the mist.

_"All of you will fall. Trust me on that."_

The Shadow then disappeared. Zael let out a slow breath, before turning to Arlynne, who was still cradling Tahirah in her arms-

-...actually, not her arms. _His _arms.

Therius helped Nuriel up slowly, staring at Arlynne. However, he did not seem as shocked as the others.

"Arlyn. You knew that you would be found out eventually, right?"

The advisor of Lady Tahirah nodded quietly, gazing at Tahirah in his arms.

"Yes, Sir Therius. I knew."

"Wait, wait..." Zael trailed off. "Arlynne, you're a...Therius, you knew...?"

Therius nodded quietly. "Yes. I knew. I was there at the time that...Arlyn decided on a fatal change."

Arlyn merely nodded quietly. "And yes, Zael. I'm not a woman. I'm a man, and absolutely in love with Nuriel."


	4. Connection

_4. Connection_

* * *

It was the morning after the most disastrous ball that anyone had ever witnessed.

Calista walked down the hallway quietly, wondering if she could find Lady Tahirah and talk to her, see how she was doing.

That was when she heard something from outside.

_"...is it that you want to speak to me about?"_

Was that Lord Zangurak? Speaking with...Arlyn, Lady Tahirah's advisor/bodyguard? Why...? The Countess of Lazulis quickly walked into the Castle Courtyard to see none other than Lord Zangurak, who was speaking with Arlyn. Arlyn was still wearing a dress-a different dress from last night, being of a darker blue colour, but still a dress. The advisor had a concerned, worried look in his eyes as he spoke.

"Lord Zangurak, please hear me out..."

"If it is about what occurred last night-"

"It is about last night."

Zangurak was silent for a moment. "...I should have known that there was something...off about you, human."

Arlyn appeared to visibily wince, but he continued despite that remark. "It's not about me, Lord Zangurak. It's about Lady Tahirah. She's concerned that you're going to hate her due to what happened last night."

That threw off both Calista (who was watching them talk) and Zangurak. The King of the Gurak paused, confused.

"Why would I hate her due to what happened last night?"

"Because of her...ahem, panic attack. That you're going to see her as someone who is weak and incompetent as ruler of Melodia because of it. She knows-and I know-that you do not trust humans, even after the peace treaty between the Gurak Continent and Lazulis has been put into place. The day before yesterday, after she confirmed with you that you were coming to Melodia...she told me that she was really excited to see you because she felt that it wasn't fair that no humans have really ever been friendly with you and she wanted to be friends with you or at least get along with you if not that. But now she thinks you're going to hate her because of how she handled the troubling situation last night, screaming like that..."

"...And you _know,_ Arlyn," Tahirah spoke up, walking in-between Arlyn and Zangurak, "That I'm able to tell him all that myself, right?"

Arlyn bowed to Tahirah briefly, before backing away slightly. "...I didn't mean to...I apologize for becoming a way convenience again."

Tahirah gently gripped Arlyn's hand. "It's okay, Arlyn. You're just trying to help...you know, Nuriel is awake now and he's been waiting to have breakfast with you. You might want to go see him."

Arlyn nodded, leaving. As soon as Arlyn was out of sight, Tahirah faced Zangurak, a more serious expression on her face now.

"Lord Zangurak." She really was serious-Calista could even hear it in her tone of voice. "I know that-"

"Are you going to repeat every single thing that Arlyn just told me except in your own words?"

Calista winced at how blunt Zangurak was. Tahirah, however, merely nodded.

"Yes...I was. Until you intervened."

There was silence for a moment, before Tahirah spoke up again.

"Lord Zangurak, do you hate me?"

Calista couldn't believe that Tahirah was actually _asking _about that. _People generally ask others if they like them, not the opposite!_

Zangurak appeared to think for a moment, studying Tahirah carefully before speaking.

"No."

His voice was so..._blunt_ when he said it, that Calista for a moment wasn't convinced that he didn't hate Tahirah.

Tahirah, meanwhile, was just plain confused.

"Why?"

_People don't generally ask why people don't hate them either..._

Zangurak let out a sigh, before speaking again. "Lady Tahirah Zakiyaa, do I have any reason to hate you other than your panic during the ball last night? You invited me yourself to the ball, first off, which is considerate of you. And then you actually talked with me last night. You're the first to see me as a person, not a 'King of the Gurak' or a 'former enemy' or 'someone to be feared.' Why would I want to hate you if you have done all that? And...it is natural for any being to panic. There are several times where I have panicked without anyone noticing. You're not the only one."

Calista felt a stab at her-a guilty one, not a physical one. As Countess of Lazulis she should be welcoming. Even to former enemies. It seemed, though, that she apparently wasn't as good as it as she thought she was.

Tahirah, meanwhile, was smiling. "Thank you, Lord Zangurak..." She looked happy to hear it, completely relieved. "I'm glad that...you're not mad about it."

He merely nodded. "You're welcome." He paused, before speaking, glancing in the direction where Arlyn had gone. "About Arlyn...he's been hiding it all this time? His...hidden masculinity?"

Tahirah nodded. "Yes. Since about ten years ago, when he and Nuriel fell in love with each other. Originally he would have worn mens' clothing and all, but after he pretended to be a woman to gain better access to a Reptid's hideout ten years ago as we were in war with the Reptids at the time-it's a long story, but still-he's been like this, since. He's far more comfortable with femininity. I don't mind it. I support it, even. If there is something that is a part of someone, like one's identity with themself or something, why should we bother putting rules against it? It's not fair to do that. It's degrading to those people because it's taking away their right to be themselves. But the world doesn't completely think like that, sadly. So I've kept it secret for a long time."

That was when she gave him a look.

"And if I catch you spilling secrets, I know how to silence you. Melodia has the deadly _reputation_ of keeping secrets, and I will continue to keep that reputation standing. Alright?"

Calista couldn't believe it. Did Tahirah just threaten Zangurak in a way? Did she just...but yet...

Zangurak appeared to be smiling.

Calista winced at the memories. That smile of his still frightened her at times, even after the peace treaty was signed. The smirk of his right after that smile just frightened her more as he answered, his tone of voice full of something sinister.

"Understood, Lady Tahirah. Understood."

The two just looked at each other, as if they were definitely on agreement about something. Then the sinister demeanor of both vanished instantly as Tahirah spoke up again, cheerfully.

"Lord Zangurak, how about a game of chess...?"

The Gurak King blinked. "We haven't even had breakfast yet, and our duel as you requested..."

"We'll play chess while eating breakfast, then. Dueling comes afterwards. Let's go!" She literally grabbed him by the wrist, pulling him out of the Courtyard with her.

Calista didn't know what to say. Or to do.

What was that exchange between Tahirah and Zangurak really about? Calista had never thought of Tahirah to be the malicious type, and yet...that connection she felt between them just now...

Deciding to try to ignore it for now, she went to go eat breakfast.

* * *

"Lord Zangurak...?"

Zesha and Zepha were both quiet, as per usual, but they were more curious than usual.

Zangurak turned to the twins as he put on his armor. It was now after breakfast and chess, and soon they would duel. "What is it?"

"Do you truly trust Lady Tahirah?" Zepha spoke up. "You seem to regard her highly, the human Warrior Countess."

Zangurak was silent for a moment, before speaking. "Do you know the line _'keep your friends close but your enemies closer,'_ Zepha? That is where I'm aiming at."

Zesha blinked in surprise. "So you do not see her as a friend but rather as an enemy, my lord?"

He shook his head. "Not quite." He chuckled to himself. "More of...on the fine line between both. She is unlike most humans I have met. Naive in some ways, but very...intelligent in others. She showed no fear when simply approaching me, and I have the feeling that she won't back down in battle, either."

He glanced in the mirror, to see himself in his armor, before smiling.

"Lady Tahirah. Just you wait."


	5. Viewing

_5. Viewing_

* * *

Zangurak and Tahirah were already in the heat of battle as Sir Therius rushed over to Zesha and Zepha, the two right-hand men of Zangurak simply watching the battle. Arlyn and Nuriel were also watching, silent.

"What are they doing...?" Therius stopped midway through his sentence as he got caught up in watching Tahirah and Zangurak battle each other. He noted that the Warrior Countess was using not one, but rather _two _swords at once, just like Zesha and Zepha did. Zangurak, meanwhile, had his usual Zan Lance, using it to block blows from both swords simultaneously. Both fighters were focused on the other, waiting for them to take a move and see what to counter their attacks with.

A memory flashed through Therius' mind, one of ten-year-old Tahirah begging him to teach her to use a sword. He smiled briefly.

"She's grown..." He murmured softly, but loud enough for Nuriel to notice.

"Yes, she's grown." Nuriel spoke up, watching Tahirah and Zangurak continue to fight. "Arlyn and I are the only ones that can properly spar with her now. Back then, when she was little though...she was running around and getting all of the knights to battle against her, and then me and Arlyn. And then she would go practice by herself, and then start the cycle all over again. She's gotten so strong that she's surpassed the strength every single knight in this castle." He chuckled a bit. "I suppose I may be bragging a bit, but she has grown as a fighter for sure."

There was a pause, before Arlyn spoke up. "Sir Therius, weren't you Lady Tahirah's first opponent?"

The Gurak twins seemed interested, turning to Therius. Therius glanced at the four staring at him, before letting out a breath.

"Yes, Arlyn, I was. She asked me personally if I could teach her to fight with a sword, and she had stolen a sword from the Military Wing of the castle at the time, so..." He blushed slightly at this.

Nuriel smirked. "Yeah, and then _everyone_ in the castle thought you would both become each other's childhood sweethearts...alas, t'was not meant to be..."

Zesha blinked in surprise. "Oh? And why not? Were they too far apart to ever be put together?"

Zepha let out a laugh. "That would make sense, since Lady Tahirah has to stay here while Sir Therius wanders about being the white knight he is..."

Therius blushed, glaring at Nuriel. "Our relations between each other were nothing like that! You spurred on the rumors if I remember correctly, Nuriel!"

"And that, Sir Therius, was fun." Nuriel responded, he and Arlyn chuckling a bit. Zesha and Zepha looked midly amused as Therius blushed.

"Please, shut up..."

Tahirah and Zangurak, meanwhile, were still going at each other, Tahirah ducking an attempted stab from Zangurak before she tried to slash at him, only for Zangurak to sidestep the attack.

"Not bad," Tahirah commented quickly, trying to stab Zangurak.

The King of the Gurak blocked her sword with the Zan Lance, before knocking the second sword that was trying to stab him out of her hands. "Not too shabby, either." He commented quietly.

Tahirah withdrew for a moment, circling Zangurak. "Do you have any idea as of why I invited you to this duel?"

Zangurak raised an eyebrow. "And why is that, Warrior Countess?"

"...Because I want to beat you."

Calista seemed as taken aback as Zangurak.

"You want to beat me?"

Lady Tahirah grinned. "Yup. I want to beat you one day in battle. Maybe today might be the day! I mean, to beat you without killing you, obviously, because that would be bad and you're my friend. Friends don't kill friends..." She stabbed forwards, but Zangurak managed to sidestep the attack, blocking it with his Zan Lance before countering. Tahirah dodged, leaping above him and diving downwards. Zangurak managed to counter in time with the Zan Lance, knocking her away.

Tahirah hit the ground, rolling out of the way to dodge a stab from the Zan Lance before she got up. She was still smiling.

"You know, our right-hand men seem a bit bored. Maybe we should let them fight each other...?"

Arlyn and Nuriel seemed to perk up at the mention of fighting. Zangurak paused, before nodding.

"Very well. Zepha, Zesha, fight against the Icy Inferno."

Zesha nodded. "As you wish, Lord Zangurak." Both twins took out their swords, turning to the Icy Inferno. "Any last words before we fight?"

Nuriel took out a sword, Arlyn summoning his icy magic. The fire mage grinned as he spoke. "How about...don't blame us if you become popsicles or charred meat?"

Zepha snickered. "Sounds good." The four struck at each other, just as Tahirah and Zangurak resumed fighting.

Meanwhile, Therius was just watching the two fights go on at once. He was fascinated by how Tahirah and Zangurak knew exactly when to counter each other, trying to get each other thrown off. However, the other would be able to block that counter, and they just kept neutralizing the other's attacks. Meanwhile, the Gurak brothers were working as one unit-one would do all the magic while the other would throw out the physical offensives. To counter that, Nuriel and Arlyn were watching each other's backs at all times-never separate from each other for even a second as they cast spells and exchanged blades. Despite the fact that Arlyn was in a dress, he was surprisingly speedy, too.

And then everything turned to absolute _chaos_.

While dodging an attack from Zesha, Nuriel tripped, stumbling backwards against Arlyn, who ended up missing Zepha with his ice spell and nearly hit Zangurak in the process, causing Lord Zangurak to miscalculate when Tahirah was going to strike and put his Zan Lance up a tad too early to defend himself. This caused Tahirah, who was running at Zangurak to try to strike him, stab at him and get her swords wedged awkwardly between the Zan Lance and Zangurak himself, and the force of the swords being wedged there caused a surprised Tahirah to slip and fall on her back, dragging Zangurak down with her accidentally.

"Lady Tahirah!"

"Lord Zangurak!"

Therius' eyes widened at the sight. Tahirah and Zangurak, meanwhile, were awkwardly getting up and getting their weapons untangled.

"I-I'm sorry!" Tahirah's face was completely red with embarrassment as she put her swords away. "I-I didn't mean-really, I-"

Zangurak put up a hand, as if silencing a child, before speaking. "It is alright, Lady Tahirah. Merely an accident..." He glanced at the other four fighters. "Are all alright?" Their right hand men nodded. "See? Everything is fine, Lady Tahirah. It is not as if you've caused a tragedy or even spilled champagne on someone. It's...fine."

Tahirah blushed still, but she seemed calmer. "Y-yeah, I guess you're right. Thanks..."

A whole bunch of laughter was heard from their left, and everyone turned to see Syrenne, Lowell, Mirania and Yurick laughing amongst themselves, having seen the accident. Tahirah blushed, smiling and waving awkwardly at them.

"Good morning..." She seemed to calm down, her elegant but optimistic demeanor overtaking her previous expressions. "You're friends of Sir Zael, yes? Syrenne, Lowell, Mirania and Yurick, right? It's a pleasure to finally talk with all of you..."

Lowell grinned a bit. "Nice to meet you too, Lady Tahirah..." He trailed off, doing a little bow. Syrenne rolled her eyes, elbowing him in the gut. Lowell let out a groan of pain while Tahirah herself giggled a bit. Zangurak was quiet, his face calm, just observing the others.

Tahirah smiled, curtseying a bit. "Perhaps we can continue this chat later? I should go refresh myself after this session of fighting with Lord Zangurak here..."

Mirania nodded. "Of course.."

As Tahirah began to leave, her hand brushed against Syrenne. The pregnant former mercenary gripped onto Tahirah's hand, shouting.

"YOUR SKIN IS SO SOFT!"

Tahirah blinked in surprise, frazzled. "It-it is?"

"Of course! Hey, Lady Tahirah..." Syrenne leaned towards her, grinning. "How about we take a bath together? Mirania, you can come too, and that one female Gurak soldier...Yin, was that her name? We can round her up, too!"

Tahirah blinked in surprise, but slowly nodded. "Erm, sure! I guess company is nice..."

Everyone else, meanwhile, was silent, bewildered by the sudden turn of events.

* * *

"Uh...thanks for inviting me to take a bath with you, Syrenne." Tahirah spoke up, blushing a little. Mirania, Syrenne, Tahirah and Yin were all currently bathing together. "I appreciate the invitation."

Syrenne chuckled a bit, grinning as she looked towards Tahirah. "No problem," She responded, giggling a bit. "It's always nice to have company, after all."

Mirania noticed that the Gurak soldier Yin was sitting in the bath a little farther away from the rest of them. "Yin, do you want to come closer? We won't you bite you or anything..."

Yin had a mixture of shame and embarrassment on her face. "Uh...I'd rather not. I mean..." She let out a sigh. "Okay, when you look at me, what do you think in terms of appearance?"

"Um..." Tahirah paused, before speaking up. "Female? Gurak? Soldier?"

Yin let out a sad laugh. "The first two are technically not right. Third part, correct. I'm a hybrid in two ways. I'm half Gurak and half human, but I'm also half female and half male. In terms of the half Gurak and half human thing, I've got attributes from both races. I'm paler than most Gurak but I obviously have more of a Gurak body structure than humans. Half female, half male...well, I've got both their body parts. I think I do, at least." She let herself sink a little more into the bath so that the bubbles were just below her chin. "Dunno if I'm able to have children because of my hybrid of genders, but anyone who knows this either accepts it or they're completely disgusted by it. Only Lord Zangurak, Zepha, Zesha, Andra and Annele know besides me and you guys. So..keep it a secret, okay?"

Syrenne grinned a bit. "Don't worry, we'll keep it a secret! Everything's cool, Yin."

Yin smiled a little at this, seeming a bit happier than previously for sure. "Thanks, Syrenne."

Tahirah smiled. "Don't worry, the land of Melodia is known quite well for secret-keeping. If anyone blabs about it I'll silence them right away."

Mirania was curious. "Tahirah, how would you silence them?"

"Well, threats never seem to be enough, so...I use poisons."

Mirania blinked. "Oh. I see."

* * *

While the four women were bathing and talking, four men were in the changing room just outside of the bath, all listening in. Lowell paused, for a moment, before nudging the Gurak noble beside him.

"You peek."

Dereck stared at Lowell. "Why me? Why don't you just do it yourself!?"

"Syrenne would kill me if I did." Lowell replied, crossing his arms. You peek, Dereck."

The Gurak nobleman shook his head quickly. "Hell no! Andra will kill me if she finds out about me being around if we get caught! Do it yourself, Lowell!"

Lowell chuckled. "Oh, so the rumors are true. You're with that Gurak maid-"

Dereck blushed, glaring at him. "Shut up, we're trying to keep it secret! I'll kill you if you tell anyone, I have my ways!"

Lowell let out an over-exaggerated sigh. "Fine, since you're not man enough-" He turned to Yurick, grinning. "Yurick, you go in!"

Yurick stared. "What, no!"

"But-"

_"No."_

Lowell sulked for a moment after being rejected by the fire mage, before turning to the right-hand man of Zangurak. "Zepha?"

Zepha was silent, before Lowell could notice him blushing just a little bit. "...I would rather not look, thank you..."

"Hm.." Lowell paused, before speaking. "...Ah well, you're going to look anyway."

"WHAT!?" Zepha was glaring at him-AND blushing simultaneously of embarrassment as he yelled at the ice mage. "HELL NO I'M NOT GOING IN THERE!"

Before Lowell could respond, Lady Tahirah Zakiyaa walked out of the door, wearing a bathrobe, staring at the four men. All four men stared back at her. She paused, clearing her throat, before speaking.

"...ahem. Hello. What are you guys doing here?"

Dereck blushed of embarrassment, mortified that they just got caught by _Lady Tahirah Zakiyaa_ of all people. "Uh, we weren't doing anything-"

That was when Lowell spoke up. "Hey, Lady Tahirah, mind if you let us join you all?"

Tahirah was silent, registering the words in her head before speaking. _"In the bath...?"_ Her voice sounded very small.

Lowell nodded, smiling. "Yeah, in the bath...well? What do you say?"

Everyone was silent. Yurick, Dereck, and Zepha all exchanged glances as Tahirah's face started to go red of embarrassment, mortification. The three knew something that Lowell didn't know.

_This is not going to end well._

* * *

**_"NOOOOOOOOO!"_**

Zesha, Calista, Zangurak, Arlyn, Nuriel and Therius had been walking down the hall to find Lady Tahirah and see if she was available when they heard her scream.

They also saw Lowell being blasted out of the door leading to the women's bathing quarters, with Yurick, Dereck, and Zepha rushing out of the room afterwards for their lives.

**_"NO, NO, NO, NO, NO! OUT! OUT, ALL OF YOU! NOW!"_**

Tahirah rushed out of the door, wearing literally nothing but a bathrobe and slippers, blasting at the four intruders with magic spells (most of the spells missing and hitting the windows. Tahirah looked extremely embarrassed, her face completely red as she was flinging spells at the four men.

Arlyn and Nuriel exchanged worried glances with each other, before Nuriel over-exaggerated a loud cough, causing Tahirah to stop flinging spells and for everyone to turn and stare at the six people in the presence.

Tahirah's face went even more red, Yurick winced and started to back away, Dereck was blushing with complete embarrassment as well as Zepha, and Lowell looked like he was expecting a brutal murder to happen to him.

It was Zangurak who spoke up next, after a brief moment of awkward silence.

"What in the bloody hell are all of you doing?"

Tahirah turned to Zangurak, her eyes wide. "Uh...I...they..." She looked a little too overwhelmed to answer for a moment, before she recomposed herself. "These four ruffians were peeping in on us women in the bath. And I ought to teach them not to do such...impolite things..." She trailed off, glaring at Dereck, Lowell, Yurick and Zepha, all of them slowly backing away.

Zangurak turned to Zepha, about to ask for an explanation, but that was when Zepha, Dereck, and Yurick pointed at Lowell.

_"It's his fault."_

The three said it in such perfect sync that Lowell winced. "This is not my day..."

Arlyn and Nuriel both summoned their ice and fire powers in an instant. "Lady Tahirah," Nuriel spoke up, "Do we have permission to burn or freeze Lowell for this?"

Tahirah paused, before nodding. "Yeah, sure. Just don't kill him. I don't want to see a popsicle or a charred hunk of meat lying in the Castle right now."

Arlyn nodded. "Understood, Lady Tahirah."

Lowell promptly ran, the two advisors/bodyguards running after him and shooting fire and ice spells at him. Tahirah blinked, before turning to the three running figures, yelling after them.

"AND DON'T RUIN ANY FURNITURE OR ANYTHING IF POSSIBLE! OR HURT ANY INNOCENT BYSTANDERS! OR WRECK ANYTHING IN GENERAL! GOT IT!?" She then let out a sigh, turning to Therius, Calista and the others. "Sorry about that..."

Calista let out a sheepish laugh. "It's alright, Tahirah..."

Zangurak paused awkwardly, before speaking. "Lady Tahirah, erm...shouldn't you get changed...?"

Tahirah blushed, looking down at herself. "Ah, right, I'll, uh...I'm going to get...changed...yeah..." She rushed back into the women's bath, her face as red as a tomato.

Zesha and Zepha both exchanged soft laughter with each other. Zangurak, meanwhile, looked confused.

"What's so funny...?"

Zesha snickered a bit. "The fact that you really _do_ seem to get along with Lady Tahirah, Lord Zangurak..."

Zangurak glared at him. "Shut up."

Therius observed Zangurak quietly, then looked back at the door that Tahirah had slammed behind her leading to the women's baths.

Was there really such a close connection between Zangurak and Tahirah? That soon? Why?


	6. Hide and Seek

_6. Hide and Seek_

* * *

Zangurak glared at his metal arm, furious at the pain it brought him. Putting it together after the whole fight with Zael _(he still spat the name out in his mind, like it was a complete pest that should be stepped on before it could spread any further through his mind)_ and Calista _(the Arganan girl, the one with Arganan blood, the one whose he used to try to strengthen his Outsider's power and ultimately failed)_ had not been easy.

A metal arm was nothing like his old, actual flesh arm. A metal arm brought aches and pains to his shoulder (what was left of it, anyway) as it was attached merely by magic, when worn for too long, and if it was ripped of due to it being too irritating...well, that had only happened once so far, when Zesha and Zepha had been too busy to attend to Zangurak at the time (the twins had been checking up on what was left of the Gurak army and dealing with the wounded in the hospital wing). That had not gone well, and Zangurak had hoped that it wouldn't happen again.

...This time, though, he might just have to rip it off himself. For the second time. He was _not _looking forward to the pain.

Before he could even reach it, though, two human hands was easing the limb off him, resting it on the table beside him before one hand touched the bony, scarred stump of his shoulder. Zangurak winced, pain crackling through his shoulder, and he felt the hand pull away.

"Apologies, Lord Zangurak." It was Tahirah that was speaking. He turned his head slowly to face her. Tahirah's mask was removed for once, revealing her pale face. She hesitatingly put her hand at the stump again, before using her healing magic to try to soothe the closed off wound. "Does that help?"

Zangurak nodded, feeling the soothing healing powers work on him. "It does." He observed the Countess of Melodia quietly, not saying another word. Tahirah appeared to be silent, calm, working her magic on his shoulder. He sensed, however, something else going on with her, something she kept trying to hide but always reappeared.

"Lady Tahirah?"

Tahirah looked up from her work, blinking. "Yes, Lord Zangurak?"

"Tell me, Lady Tahirah, what do you think you're achieving by attempting to befriend me?"

Tahirah blinked in surprise ."I-I don't know what you speak of-"

"Lies." Zangurak snapped, standing and facing her. "You very well know what I'm speaking of. Out of all of the guests stuck here in Melodia at the moment, you have paid the most attention to me, even approaching me in private during the ball. You challenged me to a duel previously. And even before I arrived at Melodia, you came to me in person after sending Arlyn to confirm with me if I was going to the ball or not. And also...Arlyn expressed to me that you were concerned that I of all people would hate you for your behaviour at the ball when Nuriel's Shadow attacked. Now tell me, Lady Tahirah, what are you doing?"

Tahirah gave him a hard look, silent for a moment. Then she looked away from him.

"You think I had some ulterior motive? For trying to befriend you!? How could you, how could you accuse me of something like that?!" She turned, striking him in the face with her bare hand. Zangurak, not expecting the blow, felt his face sting. He gritted his teeth, about to snap something at her, but she just kept talking. "Do you have any _idea _what it's like being in isolation from everyone, everything? For five to ten years straight!? I don't think so! There's nothing to support you when you fall, nothing to keep you company when you're feeling down, nothing to help you when you don't know what to do, and everything tumbles down on you. All I wanted was that _you_ wouldn't end up like _me! Not like what happened to me!"_

She then turned away from him, silent, wrapping her arms about herself as if she was the one being hurt. Zangurak turned away from Tahirah, not looking at her at all.

There was silence between the two of them for moments. It could have been an eternity, perhaps. But then Zangurak broke the silence.

"Lady Tahirah, what is it that affected you in such a negative way? Are you not loved by your own people?"

The reason he brought this up was because he very well knew that he himself wasn't in favour with his own people, especially after the War of the Outsider. After finding out about Lord Zangurak's true motives for invading Lazulis and going through all the terrible, terrible things that happened during the war, the Gurak had been very angry about the whole ordeal. Of course, they couldn't all just go and destroy Zangurak-he was their King, and the only one still wishing to be involved in being the leader of the Gurak-but they were still angry.

Could Tahirah have suffered through something similar before?

Tahirah turned towards Zangurak quietly as he turned towards her. The Countess of Melodia was struggling to keep a straight face.

"There was a war between Melodia and the Reptids five years ago." She muttered quietly. "I was able to have victory over the Reptids and get a peace treaty made, but during one of our major battle against them I used my voice." She winced at this. "I didn't realize how strong it was until I used it in that battle. All of the Reptids in that army bled out of their ears until they were dead...along with _half_ of my entire army. That, Lord Zangurak, was the stupidest decision of my life so far. Everyone in Melodia was so angry about it, and all I could do was keep a low profile. The angry looks that the older people of Melodia gave, the remarks they made about me not fit to be a ruler of Melodia, especially when I was forced to take up the role after my parents' deaths...it was too much for me to handle at the time. I ended up isolating myself for that long, and it wasn't fun." Her voice cracked a bit. "I don't want that happening for you...l-like it did for me. O-okay?"

That was when Zangurak realized that she was crying.

He had never seen her cry, not until today. That Tahirah was capable of feeling vulnerable, feeling angry-he had always seen her as this calm, cool and collected individual most of the time-unless she was embarrassed about something or apologizing profusely for some accident, of course. But this, _this _was something entirely different.

For once, Lord Zangurak had no idea what to say or do. He just stood there, watching her cry.

Then, feeling stupid and mentally wishing to bang himself against a wall for not doing it earlier, he took a handkerchief out of his pocket and offered it to Tahirah. The Countess of Melodia grabbed the handkerchief, wiping her eyes with it before offering it back to him.

"Lady Tahirah, you can keep it for now. You need it far more than I do."

Tahirah nodded, clutching onto the handkerchief tightly. "Y-yeah, thank you..." She paused, taking a deep breath to recompose herself. "Sorry. For slapping you and then yelling at you."

"And my apologies for thinking you had some 'ulterior motive' for trying to befriend me. I won't assume such things again, I assure you."

* * *

The Shadow sat opposite the little Gurak girl in front of him. Nuriel's Shadow happened to be bored, wandering the Melodia castle, when he happened to stumble upon the young girl Annele. The girl had looked sad, sad like how the Shadow first met Nuriel years and years ago, and the Shadow convinced himself to keep her company for a little while.

"So..." The Shadow trailed off awkwardly. "Erm, you said you have sisters?"

Annele nodded quietly. "Yeah. Andra is my oldest sister, and Yin is older than me. But...they don't get along with each other a lot. They fight a lot..." She looked even more down at this. "Yin told me that Andra hates her because Yin has a different kind of body than most girls, like...it's more manly. That's what she told me. A lot of the Gurak back at the Gurak continent look down on Yin because of this...so she tries to keep it hidden."

"What about you?" The Shadow asked, pushing a lock of hair behind his ear. "What do you think about her hidden manliness, Annele?"

Annele looked up at the Shadow quietly, pausing before speaking. "It's part of what makes my sister special! I can't hate her for that-it's...it's just what makes her...special." She finished, lacking any other words to describe it. "It's not fair that everyone is being mean to her because her body is different!"

The Shadow nodded quietly, chuckling a bit as he ruffled Annele's hair. "You're a good kid, you know? You're a lot nicer than most kids I've met..."

Annele grinned. "Thank you, mister Shadow!"

"Annele?" Yin's voice was heard first, before the Gurak knight turned the corner to see the Shadow and Annele. The Shadow's eyes widened, before he teleported away. At least, it would look like he teleported away. In reality he was invisible to both Annele and Yin, watching them quietly. Yin rushed over to Annele, getting on a knee to face her properly. "Are you okay?"

Annele nodded, grinning as she gave Yin a hug. "I'm fine! Mister Shadow and I were talking..." She then frowned. "But he just went away just now..."

Yin hugged her younger sister quietly. "Annele...I don't know what 'Mister Shadow' is doing with talking to you. He's been very mean to other people in this castle as far as the rest of us know, so just...don't try to be around him too much, okay? Lady Tahirah told me that he can be very dangerous."

"But he's...nice..."

"I know, Annele. Maybe he likes kids like you." Yin let out a quiet, sad laugh. "Yeah...the world needs more people like you, Annele, compassionate to everyone...stay that way, okay?"

Annele nodded, grinning as she kept hugging Yin and not noticing the sadness of her tone. "Okay!"

* * *

Calista walked down the hallway, her head low.

She had heard everything that Zangurak and Tahirah were talking about through the door. She knew it really _wasn't _a good idea to do that, nor was it polite, but at least she knew why the two had bonded so quickly.

That was when she felt a hand on her shoulder, and she was forcefully turned around to face Zesha, who pointed a sword at her. An icy glare was imprinted on his face as he spoke to her.

"How dare you eavesdrop on Lord Zangurak," The right-hand man of Zangurak snapped, not daring to even lower his sword for a moment. "If you dare speak of anything that you have heard I won't forgive you, _Lady Calista."_

He probably would have said '_I'll kill you'_ instead of _'I won't forgive you'_if the peace treaty between Lazulis and the Gurak was not in place. Calista could still see that he was still angry, angry from him and his brother being beat by the mercenaries, angry for losing the war. He then winced, the arm holding the sword wavering as his other hand touched his chest.

Calista then remembered, at that moment, that Zael told her that Zesha had taken the blade that was meant for Zepha...

"Does it hurt?"

Zesha looked up from his chest, still not lowering the blade as he snapped at her. "Don't change the subject..."

Calista glared at him. She wasn't going to be afraid of him. Not like during the war. "I am being _genuinely concerned_ right now, Zesha, and I am asking you if your scar hurts! Give a better answer than that!"

Surprise seemed to cross Zesha's face, having not expected such bluntness to come from her straight at him. He paused, before lowering the blade and putting it back. He was silent, before speaking. "...It hurts. Every day. Every moment. Nothing can soothe it forever. Is that a good answer, Lady Calista?"

There was still a bit of a bite in his tone, but most of it had faded, replaced by a sort of somberness that Calista couldn't quite understand too well. She didn't answer him for a moment. Zesha waited, silent.

Then she spoke.

"Take off the armor."

Zesha raised an eyebrow. "You want me to strip in front of you?"

Calista grimaced. "No, just...can't you take off the chest plate? For a moment? So I can find the scar and use my healing magic on it?"

The right-hand man of Lord Zangurak blinked, before he nodded once. He seemed to hesitate, but he eventually unbuckled the shoulderpads and the chest and back plate of his armor, casting them aside to reveal that he wore nothing underneath the armor. Calista prevented herself barely from blushing-she had not been expecting him to be _that_ well-defined-and instead she focused on the scar that just underneath his collarbone. She placed a hand over it (not on top of the scar, just hovering over the scar where charred skin was) and she focused on using her healing magic to soothe the wound.

She looked up at Zesha halfway through, noticing that Zesha's eyes were closed. The right-hand man of Zangurak looked peaceful, quiet-a better state than the one she found him in initially.

"Oh?" Calista's eyes widened as she heard Nuriel's voice, footsteps approaching them. "What do we have here...?"

Zesha's eyes snapped open, and in a heartbeat he took out the East Wing and pointed it at Nuriel, growling. "Don't you dare speak of it to anyone, fire mage..."

Nuriel smiled, pushing a lock of brown hair behind his ear. He had his hair tied back in a small ponytail today, and the fiery advisor had this aura of confidence about himself, more confident than usual. "Of course I wouldn't do that, Zesha. I don't want to betray a friend's trust, do I?"

Calista turned to Nuriel raising an eyebrow. "Since when did you both become friends?"

Zesha looked a bit frustrated, and it showed in his tone of voice. "He is not my friend, he is rather the most annoying human I've encountered in my life."

Nuriel seemed to feign heartbreak. "Oh, my heart! How could you do this to me? Oh, never mind..." His expression turned to one of mischief. "You might want to make sure you're both fully dressed before anyone else comes around. Don't worry, I won't tell..." He then turned, leaving.

Zesha glared at Nuriel as he left. "I hate him." He muttered quietly. "So annoying..."

Calista sighed, turning to Zesha and using her healing magic to soothe the closed wound. "Does that help?"

Zesha nodded. "It does." He didn't say thank you, but she wasn't expecting one anyway. He was, after all, her former enemy. "Out of both people in the Icy Inferno, I would prefer Arlyn's company any day. He and Yin would get along, I think." He turned to Calista. "I assume you know about what makes Yin different out of the others of our kind?"

Calista nodded, remembering Tahirah talking to her sometime after the whole 'peeping in the bath' incident. "Yes, I know. Yin is half man and half woman, as well as half Gurak and half human..."

"Exactly. Her insecurity about her body is akin to Arlyn's insecurity about him wearing the feminine attire despite his obviously masculine figure. They would both make good supports for each other..." He redressed himself, before turning to walk away. Calista assumed that was the end of the conversation, and she turned to leave when she heard him speak one more time.

"Thank you."

Calista's eyes widened, and she turned to face Zesha-

-only to realize that he was already gone.


End file.
